Chapter Eleven: The Nanny One

  I let out a sigh and took a big bite of the sweet and juicy lychee, although it had gone bad after being left for so long. This was a reward from the old emperor for keeping watch at night for many days, which arrived after the coup ended. After going through all this, the old emperor no longer had the mood to enjoy such luxurious fruit from thousands of miles away in the south, and I got it cheaply. Of course, there was also that little servant girl who ate with an ugly expression, like a small dog happily gnawing on bones and meat, who came to scrounge for my dinner and fruit.

  This little girl lifted her small hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and a sweet smile spread across her face, enough to make someone drunk with infatuation. However, this smile seemed to hide three parts of cunning, but it was precisely because of this that her smile stood out from the crowd, appearing more spirited and attractive, making people willing to be deceived by her. She rubbed her belly, revealing a contented expression, leaned against me, and waited eagerly for me to tell today's tale of the Gluttonous Country (One Thousand and One Nights). "The story goes that in this land of gluttony, there was a king named Alexander..."

  I've already compromised with her. No way, she seems to have forgotten the pain of being cut and is full of energy, taking a strong interest in my affairs, (unfortunately, I didn't know what this meant at the time) In order to prevent her from making trouble for me, I had to coax her with big carrots and sticks. I still had to cajole the little girl, but I didn't know her purpose. And every time I ignored her, she wouldn't cry or make a fuss, but would follow me with those big, watery eyes, looking like a small animal that's been abandoned and hurt, and on top of that, the beautiful women around us would give me intimidating looks, so when I made a mistake, I could only compromise.

  The little girl's interests are simply bottomless, energetic and emotionally rich, very affectionate, from the ancient Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, to the modern Tang Xuanzang (Journey to the West), from supernatural and magical creatures (Fengshen Bang) to the Four Great Classical Novels (Romance of the Three Kingdoms), from Western (Iliad) to Eastern (Taiping Guangji) (Shishuo Xinyu), all are listened with relish. Especially fond of biographies like "The Biography of You Xia'er". Fortunately, I have a lot of books that she can read, and for now, they won't run out soon. But since I told her the story of "The Little Mermaid" and she cried so hard that she used my chest as a handkerchief on the spot, I dare not tell her any more tragic stories again.

  I told her the story of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves, and then taught her to sing a Jiangnan folk song "Jasmine Flower". Her eyes sparkled with an unfulfilled desire, shining brightly with a look of adoration. I couldn't help but feel amused in my heart. It's not like those boring writers who describe people like her, who have been pampered and protected since childhood, never having experienced such things, and then go from one extreme to another. (But later it seemed that I really did get through to her.) Plus, among the entire team, only I dared to scold and tease her, treating her as an ordinary person. Who else would I stick with if not her? This is still my own doing. However, having this little thing around can alleviate boredom, making the time spent in the barracks less dull, and also avoiding those stuffy, serious ministers by the emperor's side who always have a sour face and talk about court etiquette all day.